1903-O BARBER 50C MS66+

Many modern day voters take the direct primary system for granted, possibly due to its complexity or the lack of interest. At the turn of the twentieth century, however, this was a brand new concept brought forward by reformers of the Progressive period of 1890 to 1920. These reformers intended to bring government closer to the people as several of them were suspicious of large interest groups and public official whom they believed meddled in elections. In 1903 the governor of Wisconsin, Robert M. Lafollette, put a system in place that would change the voting system forever. Lafollette prided himself as being a politician who wanted to “[cure] the ills of democracy (with) more democracy” which he did by adopting the first direct primary system. Now voters in Wisconsin could elect nominees in a primary vote that would run against each other in the main public office election later on. Soon other states adopted this fantastical idea that this system would bring more “ordinary” people into government offices. Prior to this special caucuses or conventions that often did not represent the peoples’ interest nor did it prevent corrupt nominees, funded by special interests, from ruining state, city or national governments. The introduction of the direct primary system truly represented the phrase “government for the people, by the people, and of the people.”